The Story of Two Dancers
by Emily the Walrus
Summary: Only Jacques understood why Josee was the way she was. . . The story of the duo's friendship from the beginning to now through Jacques's eyes, and how it affected their lives. Sometimes for the worst, but mostly the better. (Might contain Jacsee later on.) Warnings for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Honestly, I've been obsessed with the Ridonculous Race lately. They all have a lot of backstories we deserve to see. But I've always been curious about Jacques and Josee's past the most. There has been so many bits and pieces, that I just made this. Hope you enjoy. There should be quite a few chapters put into this.**

 **WARNING- Jacsee has taken over my life. One of my top OTPs. This might be an issue.**

* * *

Anyone who took one look at Josee would think she was a cold hearted, evil bitch. Nothing more than a selfish lunatic obsessed with winning. Almost anyone that knew her hated her.

But not Jacques. Jacques had known her way too long to come to that conclusion. He knew about her more than anyone else. He had been there for more. Though he could not deny that Josee could be a bitch, he actually knew why she was such a way.

He remembered when he had first met her. Only seven years old, he was taking ice skating lessons. He was wobbly, but still one of the best in his class. But nothing compared to what he was about to see.

In the midst of making a crooked figure eight, he noticed a little dark haired girl skating right past him. He never saw her in class before.

She skated hard. _Amazingly,_ in fact. She couldn't have been more than five and she didn't even shake. It looked like a breeze for her. If he hadn't blinked, Jacques would have sworn she spun in the air.

He skated closer, only to see a woman who looked like the girl's mom frown at the child. Seeing her shake her head, the little girl stopped, panting slightly, seemingly disappointed.

"I'm trying, Mama," her squeaky voice pleaded.

Crossing her arms, the mother narrowed her eyes, only for the instructor's whistle to blow. Class was about to begin. As Jacques's own mother hugged him goodbye, he watched the little girl's just walk out, no love given at all.

"Your attention, children," the instructor, Annabelle called kindly. A dozen little skates drew in close around her. She stood next to the new little girl. "We have a new friend in our little class. Can you tell them your name, dear?"

The girl looked at them all solemnly, as if sizing them, before answering. "Josee Hart."

Annabelle beamed. "Josee here has been skating since she was three. I hope you all will be friendly and make her feel welcomed to our little group." The children all murmured an understanding. None were amused.

A small class, the instructor decided to take the struggling skaters first, letting the others practice. Jacques, a quiet boy, never liked this time. No one ever talked to him or tried to be his friend. He saw Josee was getting the same treatment. At the end of the rink, she looked alone.

Skating as fast as he could, he decided to try and be her friend. "You're really good," he said, scaring her into jumping slightly.

"I'm going to go to the Olympics and win gold," she replied, looking him up and down. "Mama never got her chance. . . Where did you get that outfit?"

Jacques blushed in embarrassment. He didn't know if she was making fun of him or not. "I, uh. . . I made it. All by myself."

Josee's eyes widened in disbelief. "I make my own, too! I'm kind of new at it though."

He looked at her outfit. It was purple and glittery. He could tell it was homemade, but it was still very good.

They were then called to practice. Before being taught anything, she asked to see how they were doing. All did fairly well, but Josee was doing the best. Twirling with ease, the other children looked on jealously.

"Jacques, your turn."

He was the last one to be seen. Heart pumping fast, he knew he was going to look lame compared to Josee. But he would try his best. He started out fairly easy. Just gliding his way around the rink. Then he decided he wanted to be brave. He was going to try and do a jump.

As he skated faster, he closed his eyes in fear. Feeling his feet leap off the ice, he was scared to look as he the skates landed on the ice again. Looking down in surprise, he grinned. He didn't hurt himself. He actually did it right.

The instructor clapped happily. Jacques was so proud until he looked at Josee. She didn't smile at all, just studied him more. He felt awful. He must have upset her.

He didn't get to talk to her for the rest of class. As he waited for his mother to come, he saw Josee untie her skates and out them in a little bag. She frowned to herself then looked up to Jacques.

"You skate really good, too."

A hand landed on Jacques's shoulder. The hand of his mother. As they walked to the door, he looked back to see Josee smile, missing one tooth.

"Is she new, mon cheri?" his mother asked, holding his hand as they left the rink.

Jacques nodded. "Her name is Josee, Maman. She is really good! Good enough for the Olympics!" He looked down, knowing he would not make it there.

His mother noticed the problem. "Mon chou, don't worry. You're excellent, as well." She smiled. "Perhaps when you're older, you'll be in the Olympics with her. " She looked behind at Josee, who sat patiently. "Where is her mother?"

Jacques shrugged. "I'm sure she's coming." He changed the subject back to the day's events. "Maman, I did a jump today! Everyone cheered and Josee told me I'm really good. Of course nothing like her, but. . ."

His smile smiled, listening to his stories. She had a feeling she was going to hear about and see this Josee more often.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! There will be a new chapter possibly tomorrow. I have like five other stories I need to update! I'm just really excited about this one! Have a great day/night!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with more!**

 **So, I saw one or two of you seem a bit confused at the pairing. Yes, I know Christine considered Jacques as gay, but it's not legitimately official. Besides, there are many pairings in the same sense. (i.e. two straight people being gay) I mean, it's okay if you don't ship certain things, I just happen to have a liking (obsession) with Jacsee. I definitely consider Tom gay, but Jacques is more on the cusp in my opinion.**

 **Anyways, back to the story.**

* * *

Jacques never felt more excited to go to practices after meeting Josee. He had a mission to be just as good as she was. It would be fun to be a little bit of a competition, but also a lot easier if he wasn't being outshined by a little kid. Especially a little girl.

Sometimes, just for his own sake, Jacques would beg his mother or father to go and let him practice extra. As loving and supportive of him as they both were, they couldn't always let him. But on the occasions that they could, they took him until they knew he was tired. Even if they literately had to drag him out.

Today was one of those days for him. As his mother and he neared the rink, the grin on his face grew. "Hurry, maman! Drive faster!" he exclaimed, almost bouncing in his seat.

She glanced into the rear view mirror, amusement playing in her eyes. "We're almost there, chouchou. Don't worry."

Jacques's mother Grace was a woman of patience and understanding. Having four children would have had to do that to anyone. But out of all of her children, she saw the most of herself in Jacques. Even as the youngest, he held a certain ambition the others didn't. She knew he was going to go far in whatever he did, and be there for anything.

Just as long as he didn't try to make her crash into other cars, of course.

.

Entering the doors of the rink, Jacques quickly pulled out his ice skates. Hearing a voice, he walked to the normal practice rink curiously. He was surprised, yet excited, to see Josee and her mother.

By now, he had known Josee for a few months. But usually she was quiet and held back, never talking to him as much as she did on the first day. She had become too focused, seeing as her mother started coming and watching during lessons, She was also never here the same time he was on his extra days. The little girl already looked out of breath, a certain look of stress on her face.

He looked at her mother, who looked the same as usual-strict. Never once did she smile at anyone. Just stood with crossed arms.

Pulling on his ice skates, he yelled out "Josee!" He quickly slid on the ice, trying to get over to her.

Forgetting to look what she was doing, Josee crashed into the wall after seeing him. Her mother only shook her head. Jacques was the one to skate over and help her up.

"I'm sorry! I just was surprised to see you!" he explained fretfully. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry, Josee!"

She stared at him, face red from the wall. "Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. I was surprised to see you too though." She didn't look mad at all, just frazzled. If anything, she was trying to look professional.

"Josee!" her mother hissed from where she stood. "Concentrate on what you are doing, you échec!" She glared at both children, but mostly at her own daughter. Jacques knew échec was a French word, but he never heard it before. Josee, however, seemed to look crushed.

"Yes, mama," she replied, eyes hardening into concentration once again.

But Jacques skated after her, not done talking. "I never see you here besides days we have to be here." He wobbled himself into a "Y spin" position, proud of himself when he got it.

She didn't look at him. "I come here all the time with Mama. I'm trying to get good enough to get a partner. I'm going to start ice dancing soon, so if I wanna find anyone good enough, I need to get good myself." She did a Besti squat.

Jacques had never heard of ice dancing. "What's ice dancing?" He tried doing a lunge.

She giggled, almost as if she thought he was stupid. "It includes dancing while you skate. Mama says it's bald room dancing or something. It's one of the best sports, she says."

She did a layback spin, finally seeing him as he skated into a camel position.

"I didn't know you could do that," she said, falling onto her butt.

As Jacques went to stop, he crashed on top of her. "I just learned- oops."

Josee shrugged it off, looking pretty impressed with him. "Well, it's really good. I've been trying that but didn't get it yet. Are you trying to be in the Olympics someday?" She pushed him off of her as she stood.

He shrugged, looking a little nervous. "I don't know. I don't think I'm good enough for it. I want to. . .ice dancing seems fun."

She beamed. "I'm sure with more practice you'll do good enough. Hey, maybe we could learn to ice dance together. We could be partners for it if Mama thinks you're good enough." She glanced at her mother. "Mama knows best about those kind of things. You're not ugly either, so you probably could."

He didn't take offense to it. He was too busy grinning at the idea of being part of something even cooler. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't lie about that. Let's ask!" She grabbed his hand, skating towards her mother.

.

Grace walked in as she saw her son skating after little Josee. Seeing a brunette woman, she guessed it was her mother. She walked over to her with a smile.

"Bonjour, is that your little girl?" she asked kindly, holding out her hand to shake.

The other woman glanced at her looking unimpressed. "Yes. Is that clumsy boy your son?"

Grace's smile felt from her face, dropping her hand. She knew Jacques could be slightly wobbly, but not totally clumsy.

"Yes he is- magnefique, Jacques!" she cheered, clapping for him as she saw him do a Y position. She looked at Josee in her Besti squat. "Your daughter is amazing at skating, as well. My son has commented on it."

Josee's mother rolled her eyes. "Josee's skating is adequate. She should be doing better if she going to be in ice dancing. Our goal is the Olympics. Right now, she's not even getting bronze."

Grace looked at the woman with surprise. She couldn't believe someone would show no pride in their child's accomplishments. Especially a child with amazing ability like her daughter. "Well, I think she's wonderful, cher. A true natural."

The two children fell after trying new moves. The other mother scoffed. "A natural loser," she mumbled. "So clumsy."

Grace glared at her, feeling pretty bad for Josee putting up with this witch. She sighed with relief when she saw the two children come over.

"You were perfect, mon amour!" she told her son, kissing his head.

"Maman, Josee wants to ask you and her mama something!" he bounced, looking at the girl.

"What is it, Josee?" her mother sighed with annoyance.

"I would like Jacques to be my partner in ice dancing, Mama. I want him to practice with me and everything. I think he's good enough, do you, Mama?" Josee squeaked, shaking in fear of her mother's reply.

Her mother observed him. "He's clumsy, Josee."

Grace glared at her, seeing both children's sad faces. "I think they will do great together. They're still learning. Jacques, I say yes."

Jacques was quick to hug her. "Merci, maman!"

Josee's mother frowned. "The boy isn't the star in skating anyways. He'll do for now."

Josee smiled, but stood still. "Thank you, Mama."

"Yes." She looked at Grace. "We will discuss this on Monday during their practice. Josee, we're leaving. Skates off." After the skates were put away, she grabbed her daughter's arm tightly.

Josee looked behind at Jacques. "'Bye, Jacques and Jacques's maman." Jacques waved back, hearing her mother mumble angrily. Something about a cellar closet and the word "pathetic." He looked at his mother, who just looked sad.

Confused, he grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Maman. I wanna tell Papa the good news!"

* * *

 **And there you go! I didn't want to focus too much on the first couple of months because I feel like Josee's mother would tell her that making friends wasn't the plan. Or something along the lines, at least. I also think both of Jacques's parents would be supportive because . . .I felt like it. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Note- échec is apparently the word for failure, which is pretty sad, but seems pretty much like what her mother would say.**

 **There's also a ton of foreshadowing that I hope you picked up.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my darlings!**

 **I'm back with more because, ya know, I have nothing else to do. Nonetheless, I really like writing this. I'm hoping you guys will stick around for a while. It seriously means a lot to me to have your support!**

 **So this chapter has some warnings of child abuse and is kind of emotional. Not every chapter will be this way, but it kind of needs to be said.**

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"Papa! Papa!"

Jacques ran right inside his home, hoping his father was back from work. Telling him about ice dancing was super exciting. It felt like he'd get to prove himself and be a star someday.

Thankfully for the young boy, his father had just come home a few minutes before. The brown haired man had had barely any time to sit down when he heard the yells of his youngest child. With a goodhearted laugh, he stood back up to hug Jacques.

"What is it, mon fils?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew his son well enough to be prepared for anything. He'd been prepared ever since the boy asked for him to help sew sequins on a shirt.

"Maman and I went to the ice rink and I saw Josee skating, too!" Jacques replied, sitting on the ground, a huge grin planted on his face. Grace walked into the home, sitting down next to her husband. He looked at her with confusion.

"Let him finish, Andre," Grace smiled pleasantly.

He looked back to Jacques. "Josee is the little girl you always talk about?" Jacques nodded. "Alright, continue, s'il vous plait."

Jacques beamed. "Well, she was there and was doing really good! I wanted to talk to her, but wanted to try different tricks I learned, so I followed her around the rink. She didn't pay attention until she did layback. She fell right on her butt, Papa! She didn't know I could do the camel position!"

Andre didn't know what the hell a camel or layback was, but guessed they were good things. Nodding, he chuckled. "You impressed her with your talent."

Jacques sighed. "Papa, listen! Anyways, she was telling me about ice dancing. She was going to go into it because of the Olympics. After she saw me do the camel position, you know what she asked me?"

Andre cleared his throat, glancing at his wife. "Not really, Jacques."

"Well, she asked me if I ever thought of going to bigger and better things. She said I was grande! Then she asked if I could be her ice dancing partner! We'd be learning together and maybe go on to the Olympics when we are grown! We asked Maman and she said yes. Her maman didn't seem happy, but she agreed! I'm going to be an ice dancer, Papa!" Jacques smiled widely, looking at his father with hope.

Andre blinked. He loved his son, but did not think he was the dancing type. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to fight about it. Jacques would do anything he set his mind to.

"I'm very proud of you, Jacques. I'm sure you'll do very well," he smiled, ruffling his son's blond hair. Jacques jumped back.

"No, Papa! Do not touch my hair. I don't like it messy!" he whined. "Are Lionel or Genny home? Can we call Aimee from college, Maman?" He had gotten over the hair incident, now thinking of his older siblings. He knew Lionel and Genny would tease him for a bit, but Aimee would be quick to encourage him.

Grace looked around the house. It was silent, meaning the other two were still out. "Genny and Lionel seem to still be with friends, but I'm sure Aimee would love a call." She saw the grin on her youngest child's face grow as she grabbed the phone.

.

Jacques had been right. Aimee was very proud of him. He heard the eighteen year old gush to her roommate about him as they spoke. He had also been right about his other two siblings. Genny teased for a tiny bit, but soon hugged him. Lionel's teasing went on all night until bedtime. He patted his back, saying good job.

As the now eight year old laid in bed, his mind raced with the thought of the Olympics. He saw himself grown up, a gold medal around his neck. Josee was next to him, also grown up with a gold medal. They were waving to the cheering crowd. A reporter came up to them.

"Mr. Beaumont, Miss Hart. Tell us all how you were able to do the toss in midair, landing Miss Hart on your shoulder?" they asked.

The two ice dancers looked at each other. Coolly, Jacques replied. "It was a piece of cake. Our training years were always a breeze."

At least, that's what Jacques was hoping for. He couldn't wait for Monday.

.

Josee couldn't wait for Monday either, but for different reasons.

She knew Mama was going to be upset with her. Not only had she done horribly practicing, but she had _begged._ Begged for Jacques to learn ice dancing with her. Only stupid children ever begged for anything. So she expected the tight grip on her arm as they left the rink.

"Josee, you imbecile! You want that clumsy little idiot to be your partner!" her mother sighed angrily. "Cellar closet for you."

The little girl looked up, dark eyes wide with fear. "No, Mama! Jacques is really good! I promise, Mama!"

Her mother practically threw her into their car. "Shut up, Josee! You don't wouldn't know what good was if it came and skated on your face!" Josee scrambled on her seat nervously, shaking when her mother started driving.

"I guess you don't want to go to the Olympics. You rather waste my time on something you don't give two shits about!" she growled.

Josee didn't answer. She was too scared to do so. Mama could use it against her for future punishments. She was already in hot water anyways.

"Answer me!" her mother shrieked, even though it wasn't really a question. Josee flinched, little heart pumping hard.

"I wanna be in the Olympics, Mama! I wanna win gold!" she exclaimed, trying to fight the tears in her eyes. Crying was another thing she wasn't allowed to do. It proved weakness. Josee would never let herself be so weak.

"No you don't, you little liar! You could never win!"

The verbal abuse went on for the whole car ride. As soon as they were in their driveway, Josee hopped out, walking to the front door. Her mother, however, stared at her.

"You're not going in there. Not for what you did today!"

Josee and her mother Marie lived alone. No siblings, a dead father. So Josee had no affection, unless you counted her mother as affectionate.

"But. . ." Josee whimpered, panicking at the thought of the cellar closet. She had no time to think as her mother scooped her up harshly, stomping over to the rusty looking cellar. Josee wanted to scream, but hated the consequences. She would have to face this.

The cellar closet was not only creepy, but cramp. It was dirty, freezing, and filled with spider webs and rats. Marie kept all of Josee's "baby" things in there. There was some old stuffed animals, ripped at and nailed to the walls. Old skates were thrown carelessly around. It smelled musty and old. Josee absolutely hated it.

"I'm sorry, Mama!" Josee cried out. But Marie didn't stop what she started. She threw the little girl in the tiny closet, slamming the door and locking it. Even for a small child, it was almost suffocating.

Josee held her knees close to her chest. "Mama! Please Mama!"

"Chienne! Stupid, little chienne!" Marie shrieked through the door.

Josee's breathing grew heavy. "I'm scared, Mama! Please let me out!" She felt herself shrinking, a bug crawling on her knee.

"Only losers beg!"

Tears were falling from the young girl's eyes. She felt her head throbbing from where it hit the closet wall. Before she knew it, she was sobbing loudly. "Mama!"

"Are you a baby?" her mother cackled loudly. "A little stupid baby who can't take any punishments! You're pathetic. You have life so easy, you morceau de merde! For all of your foolish crying, you're staying in here until morning!"

"But, Mama," Josee hiccupped. "I gotta go potty."

"Piss yourelf like the baby you are."

She heard her mother's shoes clacking away, up the stairs, and cellar shut. Josee was all alone in a tiny dark hole. She wasn't going to be able to sleep at all. The thought of her failures were swimming in her young mind. As much as she tried to see herself with a gold medal, she found nothing but empty hands. Jacques looked mad at her. She had caused them to lose everything.

But Josee kept telling herself it wouldn't happen. Monday had to come as soon as possible. She needed to ease her stress.

She sat in fear, waiting for the next morning to come.

* * *

 **I feel awful for writing this chapter, but I think it came out pretty nice. I hope you think so too xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry it's been a while since the last update! School has been a major pain and all. I hope you don't mind the long wait! There's not much to address today, so let's go right on with the story.**

 **(By the way, the reason they can actually do this stuff on a Monday is because it is the summer. Carry on.)**

* * *

Considering how much both children wished for Monday to come quickly, the day actually came by very slowly. Jacques had been so excited that he woke up before dawn. He spent his early morning eating cereal in his outfit for the day, sitting on the counter as he watched the sun come up. Josee hadn't slept since the other day, so she sat in her room all morning, trying to keep quiet. She wasn't going to upset her mother, not today. Today was going to be a good day for them both.

Jacques was happy when his mother finally awoke, even if it was three hours later. Even if she looked like she wanted to go back to sleep, Jacques still saw her as beautiful. From a young age, he had liked helping her with everything. Like surprising her with her favorite kind of tea, which got him a tight hug out of gratitude.

"You didn't have to, Jacques. Did you eat yet, darling?" she asked, looking over him into the sink. Alas, there was a bowl half full of milk, a cup of juice dumped in it. She sat down.

"Maman, please hurry! We must get there soon!" he whined, sitting on the chair in front of her as he played with their pet schnauzer.

"We don't have to be there for at least two hours, Jacques." She sipped her tea thoughtfully. "I'm sure it's just going to be an ordinary practice. Josee's mother just said we'd talk today." _Sadly,_ Grace thought. As much as she tried to be kind, she had a bad feeling about Marie.

.

When the clock struck seven, Josee began to make her mother's breakfast. At barely the age of six years old, Josee knew how to use every appliance from the toaster to the oven. She knew exactly what her mother would want, as well- Eggs Benedict, two slices of buttered toast, and black coffee. She worked fast, knowing when to set it up and when to wake her mother up.

By the time she had set down the coffee, the clock hit seven forty-five. She marched up the stairs, knocked twice on her mother's door before walking in, and whispering to her "Mama, I made breakfast."

"Yes, yes. Get out," Marie grumbled, opening her eyes enough to stare sharply at her daughter.

Obedient as can be, Josee went back downstairs, waiting for her mother. Fifteen minutes later, Marie walked down to her seat. Josee sat in the seat beside her, waiting for her to comment on the food.

"Cold," Marie started after one bite. "You really need to improve. It's almost as bad as your skating. " No matter the insults, Marie ended up finishing the food anyways. The whole time, both sat in silence, like always. Josee never bothered her when she was eating.

After doing the dishes, Josee went to get herself some waffles. As she opened the freezer, her mother slammed it shut.

"That can wait. Go get ready now! We have important people coming to the rink today! Don't look like a slob!" she demanded Josee harshly.

The little girl looked up at her with wide eyes. "But Mama, we didn't even pra-" She was stopped by her mother's fist slamming the counter.

"Shut up, Josee!" she yelled, pushing her up the stairs, leaving Josee in a worry.

.

Grace turned out to be wrong, of course. When she drove over to the skating rink, she saw Marie and the instructor speaking with a few formal looking people. Josee, eyes like a hawk, sprinted right over to her and Jacques. She looked up nervously.

"Mama invited some people to watch me and Jacques. She wants them to cri-tick us. Maybe one of them will want to help us or something!" the little girl squeaked out, trying to keep her composure. She looked to Jacques. "We didn't even get any time to practice!"

The young boy's face went from smiling to frowning quickly. "They're going to laugh at us! Why did your mama do that?" He looked up to his own mother for guidance. "Maman. . ."

She looked at them with sympathy. "Don't worry, _mon amour_. I will go talk with them." With her head held high, Grace marched over to the other adults, frustration taking over her.

" _Excusez-moi,_ but I didn't know that they were practicing in front of professionals today," she said huffily to Marie, crossing her arms.

Marie stopped the conversation she was having with the so-called professionals. "Did I forget to mention it? My mistake. Don't worry, they aren't judging too harshly." Her voice was kind, but her eyes held poison.

"Ms. Hart has informed us that they haven't practiced much yet," said a woman in red. "But it's not much of a problem. We can usually figure out who's going to actually go far based on their beginnings. I'm sure it will go fine."

Grace didn't take her eyes off of Marie, narrowing them slightly. "If you insist. But you do remember they are children, correct?"

The judges nodded in unison. The woman and red stretched her hand out. "Jeanette Welles."

"Grace Beaumont," she replied, shaking hands, lips tight.

Marie smirked slightly before walking away with the judges. "Her son is the one trying out with my daughter. I must warn you, he's very klutzy. . ."

.

Jacques whimpered, holding back tears. He wasn't going to let himself look like a baby. "Oh, Josee! What are we going to do? This can't happen today!" He looked over to her, noticing a tiny cut on her forehead. "Did you fall down?"

Josee ignored his latter question, though she touched the cut gingerly, breathing deeply. "We just gotta show them that we are naturals. Don't worry, Jacques! We can do it," she told him bravely. She grabbed his hand and marched over to the ice. "Get your skates on. We're gonna try something really fun! Can you dance?"

He looked down sheepishly. "A little. . . not really."

"Neither can I," she smiled brightly. But Jacques could see the twitch in her eye.

* * *

 **There will be a lot of interesting rivalry through the story, if you can't tell. It's not a great chapter, but it is mostly to get pumped up for the next few. Have a good day!**


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